


Sextuplets

by ladydragon76



Series: Sextuplets [1]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sparklings, otp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-05-31 14:30:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 20,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6474094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladydragon76/pseuds/ladydragon76
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Summary:</b> One plus one equals eight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. History in a Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheAirCommand](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAirCommand/gifts).



> **‘Verse:** IDW  
>  **Series:** Sextuplets  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Characters:** Blurr/Starscream  
>  **Warnings:** Sticky, non-human-like gestation, Pod Birth, Sparklings  
>  **Notes:** This is ALL Ephdraw’s fault. ^_^ Also, please note that this is an AU of IDW, I’m changing stuff up to suit my whims and the needs of the story. War’s over, peace is found, just figure Optimus and Megatron managed to make peace and yay! *flickswishes magic fanfic wand of convenience*

Once upon a time, long before the war, Vos knew what the rest of Cybertron only joked about. There was no mech more fertile than a Seeker. They birthed pods in multiples all the time. Singlet expulsions were the exception, not the rule. Twos, threes, and even the occasional four-pod birth were perfectly normal. Spark twins and triplets occurred in Vos and to Seekers with far more regularity than anywhere else. Fact. Indisputable fact- even if Vos didn’t really confirm that information before her Fall. After, it was a moot point. No Seeker worth his wings would bring a sparkling into a war.

Another, far less well-known, very nearly secret fact was that Racers were the easiest mechs in the universe to breed. Something to do with their high-yield sparks. Their Towerling masters created an entire culture for the Racers around that fact and never told them why. Racers ‘topped’. That’s just the way it was. They used their spikes and _only_ their spikes, and _never_ , _**never**_ shared sparks with anyone. Losers took spike. Only the lowest, cheapest, not-even-really-a-Racer _whore_ would dare share his spark through closed plating!

That cultural indoctrination, that hypocrisy from mechs who gladly allowed Racers to spike them, who bared their sparks to their fellow nobles in drunken orgies, took Blurr half the war to weed out of his processors. It could have gone badly at any turn for him, but he liked interfacing, and he liked and trusted the mechs that guided him beyond the Pitslag his helm had been filled with from his first moments online. The only line Blurr did not cross in all the long ages of war, was that of spark sharing. It seemed special, even among non-Racers, and he wanted to wait, save something back for that first time he truly fell in love. Something he wondered about ever happening as the war dragged on, then the post-war world kept him too busy to search for 'the one'.

Then one night, Starscream -of all mechs- whispered three little words into Blurr’s audial and reached out with his spark.


	2. Precious Treasure

Blurr groaned again, shifting on the berth and whimpering with his arms wrapped around his chest. Starscream bit his lip and tried to project calm and affection into his field. His poor, heavy-feeling, miserable mate.

“Just tell me it’ll be over soon?” Blurr begged again, optics pale and wet as he looked up at Starscream.

“It should be any time now,” Starscream replied honestly, his hand gentle and light as he stroked Blurr’s helm. “Your lethargy is over. At the longest, I’d guess tomorrow morning.”

And that was the _wrong_ thing to say.

Blurr gasped a sob and turned his face into the bolster to weep. Starscream curled down over his mate and purred, trying desperately to keep the guilt from his field. He hadn’t known Blurr would spark so easily. He hadn’t known that, like Seekers, Racers couldn’t have energy sinks to prevent becoming sparked. Worse, Blurr hadn’t known. The Racer hadn’t even known energy sinks existed at all until Ratchet had laid into the both of them.

They should have been more careful being two distinct lines of Cybertronian that couldn't have energy sinks. What was Blurr thinking even _trying_ to run while carrying? What did he mean he didn't know he was carrying? What happened to the notification that his forge had onlined?

Of course, then Blurr had lit right back into the harridan medic.

Starscream had beamed with pride at his mate. Rare was the mech daring enough to take on Ratchet, but Blurr had been in the right. He’d never been told anything except not to let anyone spike him. Well, he’d been doing that for ages, so why not share sparks with the mech he loved?! He didn't know what a forge was! Why would that alert have meant anything?

The shouting had been spectacular, but Starscream, for once, stood quietly next to his mate until the two former Autobots wound down.

Being sparked was a surprise, but when Ratchet asked if Blurr would like it removed, both he and Starscream had flinched back. That, clearly, decided that, and the pair left Ratchet’s domain with a heap of additives Blurr would need to help forge a healthy sparkling. Shock quickly morphed into joy, and by the time Starscream keyed in their door code, the both of them were excitedly discussing names. They set about learning all they could about forging, and the news spread quickly.

That was before Blurr began to feel… off. Running was out of the question. The sparkling’s draw on his spark, despite all the merging and interfacing they did, ensured that more than a light jog would drain Blurr to incapacitation besides risking the sparkling's health. Then he began complaining of aches and pain. His center of gravity was off. He was _heavy_.

Starscream could lift the feather-weight Racer with ease and truly felt nor saw any difference, but it was there and _real_ for Blurr. It was a relief when lethargy struck- for Starscream. The Racer would barely wake, whine about being hot and heavy and uncomfortable, but Ratchet’s visits left them with no answers. Blurr was healthy. The sparkling’s pod might be a touch large, but Starscream was a Seeker after all. Maybe they were going to have spark twins? Maybe the bitlet was just large like his sire. Nothing was in danger, this was just Blurr’s luck of the draw as a carrier. It sucked slag that he wasn’t getting off as easy as others before him, but all his internals were shifted properly to make room for the forge and expulsion. He was just going to have to be uncomfortable for a bit longer.

Guilt-ridden and concerned, Starscream was a far more attentive sire than anyone ever would have given him credit for. He sneered and snarked at those that dared voice such an opinion, then went back to coddling the mech blessing him with a creation he’d never risked even daydreaming about.

“Soon, sweetling,” Starscream crooned. “Soon, and then our bitlet will be out. We’ll be able to hold him and play with him, and you can go for your runs…”

Blurr keened piteously, but one hand flailed around until it found Starscream’s to clutch.

“Let me get you some energon,” Starscream said and kissed Blurr’s helm wing while giving his hand a squeeze. “You’ll need the energy for the expulsion.” He drew back slowly, waiting for Blurr to let go of his hand before he stood. “I’ll be right back.”

Blurr nodded, sniffling and scrubbing at his face. The poor Racer was so pathetically adorable. Starscream smiled and hurried out to prepare Blurr’s meal. The additives were still a part of the mix, but he had found that copper shavings helped the taste, and Blurr was appreciative of the effort.

“ _Starscream!_ ”

Starscream fumbled the packet, copper scattering everywhere on the counter, but he ignored that in favor of launching himself back to their berth room.

“It’s time!” Blurr announced, struggling to push himself to his knees with one hand clutched over his opening chest plates. Tears still ran down his cheeks, but his field was flush with relief.

For an instant all Starscream could do was gape from the doorway, then he rushed across to the berth and helped Blurr up. “Hah! I knew it wouldn’t be long,” he said and kissed Blurr’s cheek, spark throbbing from the start the Racer had given him and the excitement of the impending birth. “Just do what Ratchet said and let things shift how they need to. I’ll go finish your energon. You still need it.”

He scurried away to do just that, hurrying so he could get back before the pod actually began to push forward and drop. Starscream wanted to see it all. The minutes dragged like hours as he swept the copper shavings into the glass and mixed in Blurr’s additives from the medic, but then he was finally on his way back to their room.

Blurr had crawled to the end of the berth and knelt so he could see himself in the mirror, optics bright and face dry as he watched the forge iris open. Starscream crossed to his mate and handed him the energon with an encouraging nudge. The glass was absently drained and passed back, and Starscream, equally absently, set it aside on a table. His optics were locked on the soft, brushed silver curve of his sparkling’s pod where it shone from the lower area of his mate's open chest, and the Seeker resisted the urge to reach out and touch.

Quiet anticipation filled the first half hour, then Blurr’s excited, enthralled expression became tense, then pained.

“It hurts,” the Racer said, scooting back on the berth so he could lean forward on all fours. “Star, it hurts.”

It wasn’t supposed to hurt, and when Starscream leaned close, he could hear a slight grinding-scrape of metal on metal over Blurr’s rasping invents. “I’ll comm Ratchet,” he said as calmly as he could manage. “He’ll know some trick to help the pod out. Maybe he’s just shifted sideways a bit or something. We read about that.” Starscream opened a private comm directly to Ratchet, his hand resting warmly in the middle of Blurr’s back.

// _Starscream,_ // Ratchet answered, tone bored, or maybe tired of hearing from the Seeker. Starscream _had_ called him fairly often of late.

Keeping his message to comms only so Blurr wouldn’t hear the worry in his voice, Starscream said, // _The pod’s stuck, and Blurr says it hurts._ //

There was a beat of silence from the other end of the line. // _He’s expelling it now?_ //

// _Yes. Or trying to. It’s been about half an hour, and I can see the forge petals fine. They can’t open any farther than they have!_ //

// _Ok, calm down,_ // Ratchet said. // _I’ll be there in just a few minutes. Your job is to keep Blurr calm. Get him on his hands and knees so gravity can help._ //

// _He’s already in position._ //

// _Good. Keep him there. I’m on my way._ // Ratchet didn’t bother to wait for Starscream to reply, the comm line clicking as he disconnected.

Starscream turned his attention back to Blurr and rubbed smooth circles on his back. “Ratchet’s coming. He said to stay on your hands and knees, and he’ll be right over to see what our little troublemaker is up to already.”

“It really hurts,” Blurr panted. “Like, really, Star. It’s not supposed to _hurt_.”

Aiming for blasé, Starscream shrugged and patted Blurr’s aft. “Yes, well, you like to be unique, so why not in this as well?” He chuckled and leaned down, drawing on old experience to hide how afraid he was as he kissed Blurr’s shoulder and nuzzled their helms together. “This has been one surprise after another since it all began. Honestly, I’m more disappointed in myself for not figuring this would happen than I am surprised it is.”

“Easy… ah! Easy for you to s-say. Ow, _frag_!” Blurr rocked a bit on his knees, and Starscream bit his lip against the worry. It _really_ shouldn’t hurt. Blurr’s forge should have opened, the pod should have slid right out into their waiting hands, and they should have been giggling over their sparkling’s first transformation from pod to mechling by now.

The door chime sounding made both of them jolt, and Starscream dashed to answer it before thinking better of his reaction. Ratchet pushed his way in before the door was even all the way open, and it was clear he really had _hurried_ over. Starscream’s fear ramped up, lashing out of his control for a moment.

Ratchet gripped Starscream’s upper arm and yanked him in so their faces were close, then hissed, “Lock it down. This is a big deal, but he and the sparkling will be fine. You show him you’re upset, he’ll panic. I need him calm. Got it?”

Starscream nodded, then stumbled as Ratchet shoved past him and strode to the berth room.

“Hey, Blurr!” the medic called our cheerily enough, just a hint of exasperation in his tone. “So what’s that bitlet doing to you now?”

Starscream shut his optics and cycled his vents a few times, then followed the medic back into his berth room. Blurr’s expression reflected his pain, but he moved as Ratchet ordered, letting the medic get a look at the pod where it was wedged only partly out of the Racer’s forge.

“Hm.” Ratchet pulled out a scanner, let it run, then set it aside as he reached back into his subspace for another tool. “He’s just big, and I think a little off center. This’ll help,” he added, holding the tool up for Blurr to see. “Starscream, get behind him and hold him up. Blurr, I want you to relax as much as possible. Go limp, and we’ll just tug him out. Get this drama over with so we can finally meet him.”

Obeying the medic, Starscream got behind his mate and tugged Blurr back against his chest, optics locked on the tool. One end looked something like a suction cup, the other end a pump in a handle. Simple. The suction cup end went against the curve of the pod, and Ratchet secured it, then braced his free hand on the upper edge of Blurr’s chest.

“Limp as a wet noodle, Blurr,” Ratchet reminded. “Starscream will keep you upright.” Then he began to pull and wiggle the tool.

Blurr gasped, tensing again before forcing himself to hang like a discarded toy in Starscream’s arms. Metal scraped, and Starscream bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. Blurr whimpered, fingers twitching, but he was doing better than Starscream.

“Primus, are you part shuttle, Starscream?” Ratchet grumbled as he pulled.

Just when Starscream was about to call a halt to it and demand they take Blurr to the med center for this, the pod slipped free with a screech. Blurr yelped, then sagged, and Starscream had to lean forward to see his mate was even still conscious.

A shaking blue hand reached up to touch the pod, then dropped to his lap. “Ow,” Blurr said, then snickered.

“No slag.” Ratchet chuckled a bit himself, then removed the podling from the tool before offering it to Starscream. “Here, you start tending this little- big bit, and I’ll get Blurr’s forge bent back into proper shape.”

Starscream gave Blurr another kiss, then helped him lie down before accepting the sparkling from Ratchet.

“I feel lighter already,” Blurr said on a sigh, almost sounding drunk.

Ratchet laughed again and got to work. “I’m not surprised. Primus, I used to work general medical, and I’ve never seen a pod that large come out of a mech your height class.”

The two continued to chatter, but Starscream’s attention was drawn and held by the new little life in his hands. The pod really was rather large. Not that he had much experience, but some of his former caretaker’s pet Seekers had bred, and he thought this one looked a bit on the big side in comparison. “Maybe I really do have some shuttle in me or something?” he muttered, turning the pod over in his hands as he inspected it. There were a couple, very minor, scrapes here and there, and Starscream massaged at them lightly with his fingertips. He didn’t know anything about his real heritage. He was a Seeker, but not Vosian by birth, and his former caretaker had only said that he’d bought and paid for Starscream, not from who, or where, or anything that could have given the youngling Seeker a clue as to who his real creators were.

Starscream crossed to the table where the soft cloths waited, picked them up, then returned to the berth so he could begin buffing the light coating of oil into the pod. Blurr gasped, and that drew his attention, but then Ratchet was patting the Racer’s shoulder as he watched something within Blurr’s chest.

“That should do it,” Ratchet said. “Go ahead and close up. I’ll come check you tomorrow, but if anything hurts, comm me.”

“You’re leaving?” Blurr asked.

“You should stay,” Starscream said and looked up at the medic. “At least until he’s unfurled.”

“Yes!” Blurr rolled and crawled over to Starscream, and reluctantly, the Seeker let his mate take their sparkling and a cloth. “Who knows what he’ll do, and I’d rather not make you run back over here.”

Starscream grinned as Ratchet perched himself on the corner of their berth. “And thank you, by the way.”

“Welcome,” Ratchet said with a smile of his own. “And I’m fine with staying. Unfurling is _usually_ not too harrowing, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a new bit squeak his way into the universe.”

Starscream smirked at the obviously soft glow of Ratchet’s optics, but didn’t bother to snark. His own spark felt swollen and too big for its crystal, and as the first little clicks of the pod beginning to transform filled the room, all three adult mechs curled closer to watch. To the Pit with reputation or image. They were all of them giddy and excited. Starscream’s wings waggled and twitched, and Blurr giggled. Ratchet managed to contain himself only a little better, a huge smile on his face and his optics a bright, shining blue.

It wasn’t a terribly fast process, but each tiny plate or panel that flicked up and over, or around was met with vivid anticipation. Blurr and Starscream worked in the thin oil, cooing encouragements, and finally- _finally_ one absolutely miniscule little arm broke free from the main pod.

Blurr’s helm tilted to the side. “Hn.”

Starscream straightened, then tipped his helm to one side, then the other. “Right?”

“That is rather tiny,” Ratchet said. “We’re probably looking at a set of spark twins after all.”

“I can handle twins,” Blurr said with a smirk that made possessiveness rise in Starscream’s spark. The Racer glanced at him and snickered. “Don’t be jealous. But like Pit am I sharing sparks with you again any time soon.”

“Sharing sparks is fine,” Ratchet said without looking up from the teensy hand now opening and closing. “Just don’t spike each other within about… oh, forty-eight hours or so of doing it. I’m sure the two of you can be creative enough to work it out.”

Blurr huffed another laugh and turned the pod a bit as panels clicked against his fingers. Starscream just shook his helm and reached out to brush a fingertip over his sparkling’s tiny digits. On the other side of the pod, a foot appeared, then around the curve from that a helm with a little wing-like detail worked free.

“Oh Primus!” Starscream gasped as Blurr turned the pod. He caught his mate’s wrist and turned the pod back, wings hiking up and spark flaring at the sight. “It’s a wing!” he breathed, having to blink away the sudden blear to his vision. “This one has a wing!”

“Wait,” Ratchet said, and guided the pod around in Blurr’s hands as the Racer was _not_ giving up his hold on it. “Uh… No, that’s not twins.”

“Triplets?” Blurr asked, field flickering with concern.

“A trine!” Starscream would deny squealing in that note until his dying day, but excitement and pride swelled through him. He would have little Seekerlings to teach to fly!

“More like quads,” Ratchet said. “Look here.” He pointed and nudged Blurr’s hands. “First hand. This leg,” he said with another directed turn of the pod, “doesn’t belong to him or this wing over here, and this helm doesn’t belong to any of them. Four. Quadruplets.” He sat back with a laugh and rubbed a hand over his helm. “Leave it to the two of you. Primus. Spark quads. That really might be a first, though we’d probably need to ask one of the older Vosians to be sure.”

Blurr cycled his vents. “We can handle four,” he said, giving Starscream an uncertain look.

“Of course we can.” Starscream tickled the tiny wingtip and beamed. “We’re us. We can handle anything.”

And Primus laughed.

Starscream didn’t hear Him, but as the pod continued to unfurl, limbs still didn’t completely match up, but the first sparkling broke away with a squeak and high-pitched cry, and they were all distracted. Blurr crooned at the newly freed, absolutely _tiny_ Seekerling, and Starscream leaned in to stroke his fingers over the little helm. The bitlet fit comfortably in Blurr’s hand, and even Ratchet boggled at how little he was.

“I’ve seen sparklings this small, but only from minibots,” the medic said as he eased the little one from Blurr’s hand to check him over. “He’s perfectly healthy though.”

“He’ll be dark,” Starscream said, a note of curiosity in his voice. The sparkling was a darker silver than the outer pod shell had been, and he took the wiggly, chirping and beeping little bitlet from the medic as Blurr’s attention was drawn back to the pod.

“Uh…” the Racer began, but then another sparkling was freed.

Ratchet lifted the little one for a scan, and Starscream reached out to touch the naked back. Not a flyer, but just as little as his elder brother. Blue optics blinked up at Ratchet, then the pale little groundling howled. The medic chuckled, and Starscream glanced between the one in his hand and the one Ratchet held. Red optics on the first, blue on the second.

“Star…” Blurr whispered. “I think… Uh…”

Starscream pressed his shoulder to his mate’s and looked down at the pod, only for his spark to stutter. A third sparkling, even darker than the first, with bright _gold_ optics detached with a cry of his own, but more than that, was the fact that they could now clearly see another _three_ sparklings still attached to the pod’s shell.

“Frag me,” Ratchet muttered, optics cycling in disbelief. “Well, that explains the pod’s size. Damn you two are fertile together.” He snickered. “Oh wow. Please let me be there when you tell Optimus?”

Starscream huffed and reached out to pick up the dark sparkling, noting the lack of wings and trying not to feel too disappointed. Especially since he could see that one of the others did indeed have wings. Besides, Blurr would enjoy having little groundlings to teach to run as much as the Seeker would enjoy teaching flight. That pale Seekerling was the next to free himself, and Starscream had to set the two he already held down on the berth to lift their _fourth_ sparkling.

Blurr cupped his hands around the last two as they wriggled and squirmed, chest to chest, little legs twined and fingers grasping at one another as if they didn’t want to let go. Ratchet set the second sparkling beside the first, then scanned the third and fourth in turn. His field calm and amused, which was perhaps what truly alerted Starscream to Blurr’s distress.

“Six,” Blurr whispered as Starscream wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I’m not sure I can really manage six.”

“Of course we can.” Starscream purred and nuzzled the Racer’s cheek as the last two sparklings finally detached from one another.

Ratchet busied himself picking up the spare bits of pod shell and set them aside, then gently took a very dark Seekerling from Blurr for his scan. The last was a little groundling, and so pale that Starscream suspected he would end up white instead of silver like the second.

“Good thing we were so indecisive about names,” Starscream said. “We’ve plenty to choose from.”

Ratchet snorted a laugh. “Good thing you asked me to turn on your feeding system a few days ago too. Six is manageable, but it’s really going to take both of you, I think.” He laid the last sparkling next to the one he had been so entwined with, and stroked the little helm as the two twisted toward one another. “They’re all really healthy, so no worries there. Blurr, beyond your forge panels bending a bit, you’re in good health too. Feed them, let them sleep, and recharge as much as you both can when they’re out. Keep them close between you for the next few days at least. They’re little, and newly unfurled bitlets aren’t the best at regulating their internal thermostat yet.”

“Wait!” Blurr cried as the medic stood up. “You’re leaving?”

“Yep. Much as I’d like to snuggle them to pieces, that’s your job today. The both of you. They need to imprint and feel the sparks of their creators. Keep them in your fields, feed them and cuddle them if they fuss. You can call me if something feels off, but really, I don’t expect any problems. They’re bitty as all slag, but they’re fine.”

“Thank you, Ratchet,” Starscream said. “See yourself out?”

The medic waved a hand. “Please. Like I expect either of you to move? Good afternoon. I’ll comm before coming over tomorrow.”

“But-”

Starscream turned Blurr’s face so he could plant a smacking kiss right on his mate’s mouth. “We’re fine. I love you. Look at what we’ve done together.” He tucked Blurr in against his side and touched their sparklings in turn with his free hand. “I love them too. Primus, look how perfect they are. You created them. Forged them within you, and they’re _perfect_ , Blurr.”

Blurr’s vents hitched a little, but he laid his helm on Starscream’s shoulder and nodded. “They are beautiful. What are we going to call them?”

Starscream grinned and couldn’t help the excitement that rippled through his field. “Three little Seekers and three little Racers. I think we should stick to traditional naming conventions, as we’d discussed.”

“Vosian names for the winglets and fast names for the Racers.” Blurr’s vents cycled again and he sat up straight, some of the fear leaving his field. “All right. First bitlet then?”

Starscream considered the darker grey sparkling for a moment, fingers tickling at a tiny wing, then little belly. “Shadow… Hm.” The bitlet’s red optics blinked, then he beamed a full-watt smile at his carrier as Blurr touched his cheek. “Shadowstrike,” Starscream said. It was a play off a different possibility they had discussed, but this felt right.

“Shadowstrike it is,” Blurr agreed and moved his hand to the little groundling to Shadowstrike’s left. The little one was a shade of silver lighter than the pod had been, his blue optics the same, bright, midday blue as Blurr’s. “Lightning,” the Racer said at length, then moved on to the dark groundling beside Lightning. “I want to name this one Nitro. He might even be black too.”

“Someone you knew?” Starscream asked.

“Yeah. One of the few older Racers that was nice to me when I first got left in the barracks.”

“Nitro then,” Starscream agreed. “Though where in the Pits did he get gold optics from?”

“No idea,” Blurr answered with a chuckle. “Our genetics are mystery mix, so who knows?”

Nothing but the truth there, Starscream thought. He pointed at the winglet with blue optics. Rare in a Seeker as most tended toward red. It wasn’t unheard of, but certainly unique now. “Silverwing. I’m almost certain he’s going to be silver or white.” Or maybe both. It was hard to tell since color nanites didn’t truly start to populate a sparkling’s plating until a few days after the unfurling. What they had now was the barest hint of what they might become. Nitro was dark, but he could end up being dark blue, or deep purple. Shadowstrike was a light pewter now, but that could shift into a whole different shade. Red or copper. The best guess was that dark would darken, and light would maybe stay light.

“This little Seekerkeet is about as dark as Nitro. How about one of the Night names you mentioned?” Blurr suggested.

“Nightstorm,” Starscream said instantly. “That was one I was leaning toward to begin with.” One he hadn’t expected to get to use since he and Blurr weren’t terribly dark-colored themselves.

Blurr sighed and tipped his helm to gaze at their last bitlet. He was very light already, and he burbled and drooled as he chewed Nightstorm’s fingers, blue optics blinking. “Swift. I think Swift for this one.”

Starscream looked over their creations and hugged Blurr into his side again, field flush with affection and gratitude. “Perfect.” He grinned and kissed the Racer’s cheek. “Now will we be able to keep them straight when they aren’t lined up like this?”

Blurr snickered and lifted Swift, gently prying Nightstorm’s hand from his grip. “I think so. Come on. Let’s feed them before they start yelling.”

“Spark sextuplets,” Starscream mused as he lifted Shadowstrike. “This should be incredibly interesting.” He double checked his systems, then angled his hand so the feeding line could unspool from the side of his wrist. The nub end was offered to the tiny Seeker, who latched on and fed greedily.

Blurr shook his helm and leaned over to kiss Starscream’s shoulder. “When isn’t it with us?”


	3. Insanity

Blurr sat on the floor of the berth room, all six sparklings wailing and screaming at him. He was empty. He’d fed them as best he could, but he was empty now, and they were still hungry, and Starscream wasn’t home, and they wouldn’t _stop_!

Hiding behind his hands as he sobbed helplessly right along with his hungry bitlets, Blurr prayed Starscream would get home soon. He understood his mate’s work required his presence, and he had genuinely thought he could handle their sparklings alone for a handful of hours. The past days since their unfurling had been fine. They were impossibly cute, and Ratchet assured them again and again that they were healthy. Blurr was even healing up nicely, his forge retracting all the way back to its unused position and letting his internals shift back to where they belonged.

So what had gone wrong? Clearly it was Blurr himself. If everything was fine when Starscream was home, but not when the Racer was, then he was the problem. Starscream had been fine just the day before when he shooed Blurr out for his first run in months. Blurr had come back to the incredibly adorable scene of his mate singing a sweet Vosian lullaby to a rapt Nitro and Shadowstrike as he fed them. The other four were already recharging in a heap in their little walled berth.

“Blurr?” Starscream asked from the door.

Blurr looked up, mouth opening to say… something, but words escaped him, and instead a sob tore from his vocalizer.

“Oh, sweetspark.” Then Starscream was there and lifting Blurr from the floor and the howling pack of pitspawn. “Have you fueled at all today?”

Blurr could only shake his helm as he was carried out of the room. The door shut, and he tensed. “The sparklings!”

“They’re fine,” Starscream said. “There’s nothing in there they can hurt themselves on.”

“They’re crying! Star, I-”

“Hush,” Starscream said and laid Blurr on the sofa. “Stay here a moment.” His fingers were gentle on Blurr’s face as he brushed away tears that were quickly replaced.

Blurr stared helplessly after his mate as the Seeker went to fetch him energon. “I’m so awful at this. They’ve been crying for so long, and I have nothing left to feed them!”

Starscream came back with two glasses full of energon, both clearly sporting copper filings. One was set on the conversation table and the other was placed in Blurr’s hands. “You have to refuel yourself to make energon to feed them with, Blurr.”

He said it gently, but it felt like a punch directly to Blurr’s already bruised and aching spark.

Starscream sat beside Blurr as the Racer broke down again and held him close. “You’re not awful at this. Blurr, there’re _six_ of them.”

“You managed!”

“You were gone a far shorter time, and this isn’t a competition.” Starscream gave Blurr a squeeze, then lifted the Racer’s hands, cupped as they were around the energon. “Drink that. I’ll go get our brattlings settled. You drink this one, then that other one, then you lie down and rest. Understand?”

“Yes,” Blurr replied miserably. He sipped the energon as Starscream stared at him, guilt rolling off of him. Muffled they were, but he could still hear their sparklings bawling their wee tiny internals out.

Starscream eyed him for another moment, then stood and crossed to the berth room door. Try as he might, Blurr wasn’t at all braced to hear the suddenly louder wailing, and he nearly choked as his vents hitched. He swallowed down the mouthful of energon and bit back a sob as Starscream cast a glance over his wing.

“Noisy bitlets!” the Seeker crooned, dipping down to scoop up whichever sparklings had managed to scoot and belly crawl their way to the door. Blurr couldn’t see, and though his spark throbbed guilt, he didn’t much want to know just then.

The door slid shut once Starscream and the sparklings were clear, and Blurr forced himself to drink every last drop of energon his mate had gotten him. Then, because he just didn’t have the energy to be rebellious or contrary, he laid down on the sofa and cried himself into recharge.

~ | ~

“Blurr,” Starscream called. “Wake up, sweetling.”

Blurr felt like cooled slag as he peeled his optics open and looked up at Starscream.

“Good evening,” the Seeker said with a smile. “Here. Energon, then let’s go feed our scraplets before they start whining.”

“Didn’t you just feed them?” Blurr asked as he pushed himself up and took the glass of energon.

“I did. About two hours ago, and Swift’s already beginning to wriggle and wake.” Starscream leaned in and kissed Blurr’s cheek. “Finish that, wash your face, then join me on our berth.”

“This is insane, Star.” Blurr sighed, spark pulsing guilt and pain as he looked up at his mate. “Or I am. I don’t-”

Starscream laid a finger over Blurr’s lips. “None of that. We can do this. And if we just can’t manage alone, then we’ll see about getting someone to come and help.” He sat next to Blurr and wrapped the Racer up in a warm hug. “We’ve gone and done something completely unprecedented. Sextuplets. Primus, Blurr. You’re not awful at it. Neither of us are any more insane now than before.” He snickered, and Blurr shook his helm at the bad joke. Megatron’s crazy Second in Command and a former Wrecker. Primus, save them.

“Ok,” Blurr said, because what else could he say?

“Good. Now come on.” Starscream stood and pulled Blurr up. “I’ll get started, and while we feed them, we can think of an advertisement or something. We’ll need someone willing to avoid high grade as well as help us tend them.” He was still talking as he wandered back into the berth room, but Blurr knew that it was just Starscream thinking out loud.

The energon was quickly drained, then Blurr hurried to the washroom to clean up his face. Starscream was right. Six sparklings all at once was unheard of. They had already received plenty of offers of help and gifts of toys and blankets. Not only were the sextuplets the first of their kind, but they were the first newsparks on post-war Cybertron. Everyone wanted to see them, and only Ratchet’s threats were keeping mechs in line. It shouldn’t be difficult at all for Blurr and Starscream to find some help.

Feeling a little better, and certainly far calmer than earlier, Blurr headed for the berth room and scooped up a beeping Silverwing to feed. “So for the ad,” he began as he sat next to Starscream, “definitely no high grade. But maybe someone willing to stay overnight? The bar’s not suffering without me, obviously, but I’d like to get back there for a shift now and then.”


	4. Breathe Again

As predicted, Blurr and Starscream were inundated by mechs interested in helping them with their sparklings. A number of them _really_ wanted to, but their schedules wouldn't work out for it. Jazz ran the bar in Blurr's absence. Ratchet was in demand as a medic and a trainer of up-and-coming medics. Optimus was co-leader, though Blurr and Starscream let him sparkling-sit one evening so they could both go out for a meal that didn't include squeaking, chirping, beeping creations. Even Megatron seemed to soften around them.

It was, surprisingly, Drift that stepped forward and worked out best. He helped with the rebuilding effort, but had no other specific responsibilities. He didn't indulge in high grade, had no compunctions about Ratchet tweaking his systems to also be capable of feeding the sparklings, and was even willing to work overnight.

Blurr grinned as he opened the door to his and Starscream's flat. "Hey, Drift."

"Hey." The white mech entered, all weapons other than the Great Sword stripped from his frame. "Hey there, little bit," Drift said to Silverwing, then removed the Great Sword. "Which one is that?"

"Silverwing," Blurr replied. "Don't worry, you'll get them figured out soon enough, and I'll be around tonight to help."

Drift grinned and lifted Silverwing from Blurr's hands. "Primus, he's tiny. And what? No escape plan now that you can bolt?"

Blurr motioned Drift to follow, then led him into the berth room. "No. Starscream's at that meeting about trade negotiations, and I'm not quite ready to attempt the bar tonight."

"I don't blame- Oh, holy Thirteen! Look at them!"

Blurr snickered as Drift hurried over to the sparklings' berth. All five were awake and playing- in as much as they did play so far. Swift was chewing on Nightstorm's fingers as he usually did once he started to get hungry. Nightstorm appeared unconcerned as he lay on his side and used his free hand to play with a foot. Shadowstrike was scooting around chasing a bright red ball he kept knocking away from himself. Nitro and Lightning were squeaking at each other from their sides, looking as if they were engaged in some kind of wrestling match. Feet kicked and tiny hands grabbed, but neither of them sported enough coordination at a week old to really manage much.

The Racer stepped up next to his friend and smiled down at his creations, still in awe that he had made them. They came from _him_! "Want to feed them too? Or do you want to just watch how I do it first round, and you can have them for the next one?"

"Uh…" Drift watched Blurr scoop up Nitro and Lightning, then reached in to lift Shadowstrike out too. "I'll help this round. My reserve is full and ready. So who have we got now?"

Blurr crawled onto the berth and stretched out on his front, settling his creations side by side. "You have Shadowstrike there. I've got Nitro- the black one, and Lightning, the silver."

"Silverwing and Shadowstrike," Drift said as he settled next to Blurr. "I can't get over how cute they are. Primus! You _created_ these little mechlings!"

Blurr snickered as he got the feeding lines into his sparklings' mouths. "Yeah. It doesn't feel real." Except when it feels too real, but the Racer was doing better since his massive breakdown.

Beside him, Drift managed to get the lines to Shadowstrike and Silverwing without fuss. "They're so perfect."

"They are," Blurr agreed, fingers gentle on his two little Racers. From the little berth Swift and Nightstorm began to fuss, but it didn't make his spark clench or his vents seize. The Racer rocked to the side to bump his shoulder against Drift's. "Thanks," he said when the other mech looked at him. "Really. We- _I_ need help with them when Starscream's called away. I really appreciate you helping."

Drift grinned and bumped his shoulder back against Blurr's. "You're doing me a favor. I've never been around sparklings, and I've got my optic on a mech I know wants a family too."

"Oh?"

Pink glowed high on Drift's cheeks. "Not tellin'. Not yet, so don't ask."

Blurr smirked. "I don't need to ask. I'll tell Starscream and his innate curiosity will have your crush revealed by morning."

Drift groaned, causing Shadowstrike to chirrup at him before he went back to slurping hungrily at the line. "Please don't."

With a snicker, Blurr bumped Drift's shoulder again. "Sensitive. You must really be into him." He paused, enjoying the way the other former Wrecker squirmed. "I guess I'll just have to be curious a bit. If he's this big a deal to you, then the reveal will be worth the wait."

Drift slumped a little and muttered, "Thanks." Then in a blatant change of subject, he asked, "So what do they… do?"

Blurr smiled and shrugged. "Nothing much yet. My little groundlings can roll over, but the Seekerkeets haven't quite figured out how to get their wings out of their way. I leave them on their tummies so they can scoot around. They'll fuss if they can't get over."

"Wouldn't it be worth it for them to learn how to roll over?" Drift asked.

"Sure," Blurr answered, retracting one line and thumbing away a dribble of energon from Lightning's chin. "But they're only a week old, and I'd rather do any roll over practicing when they're content and I can help them instead of them just waking and being stuck on their backs. Starscream doesn’t like recharging on his back either." He shrugged and freed the other line from Nitro. "Enough for you, greedy. I think it's a Seeker thing."

"I can imagine," Drift said, easing back from Silverwing and Shadowstrike. "One each for the others?"

"Yeah," Blurr replied, pushing himself from the berth. "Before they start howling."

"That's gotta be insane." Drift followed, and once the two Seekerlings were down -on their tummies- he lifted Swift. "All six ever go off all at once?"

Blurr shuddered. "Yeah. You'll want to avoid that."

"Bad?"

"It's why you're here," Blurr replied softly and lifted Nightstorm into his arms to feed. Drift stepped closer and pressed his shoulder to Blurr's, and Blurr smiled. "I'm really glad you're here."

"Me too," Drift murmured and cuddled Swift close.


	5. Playing the Melody

There were sparklings _everywhere_. For Starscream it was becoming a common sight, but for Jazz…

The former spy and current bar musician looked like he was about to explode from the sheer volume of cute chirping, beeping, trilling, and squeaking at him. The six sparklings surrounded Jazz, and he sat, legs folded in, and twisted back and forth, constantly in motion as he tried to watch all six at the same time.

"Man!" Jazz laughed and reached out to stroke a pewter winglet. "How do you keep up with them?"

"Drift practically lives here," Starscream said from where he lounged on the sofa. At nearly a month old the sparklings were scooting and inching along much better, and the Seeker saw no reason to keep them confined to the berthroom. Blurr hadn't agreed at first, but he was still rather fearful of misplacing them. Starscream didn't understand why. They always stayed close to one another.

"Six. Slag, I don't think I could do it."

"Well," Starscream drawled with a gesture at his creations. "We weren't exactly consulted on the matter." He smiled a little, optics softening as he watched Nightstorm chase after Swift. "Not that I'd trade a one of them."

"Yeah. Lots of work, but they're cute as all Pit." Jazz reached out and lifted Lightning. Even in the much smaller mech's hands, the sparkling still looked tiny. Of course, sparklings didn't grow _that_ much at first. It was all processors and storing up energy and resources for the nanites to use at this age.

Lightning was nuzzled and cuddled, then placed back on the floor to play. Starscream was watchful, but not nearly as nervous as Blurr about others holding them. Starscream and Drift seemed to be the only ones so far the Racer didn't tense over.

"So ya think this'll be their colors then?" Jazz asked.

Starscream shrugged a little then bent to lift Silverwing from the floor. It was nearly time to feed them, so he might as well get started. "Base colors? Probably. But like on Silver here, there're some markings we're not sure about. They've all got them. Different places. We think this one's going to have some blue, but right now, it's just a funny shade of silver-grey."

Jazz caught Nitro and lifted him. "Ah. Yeah, I see here… Nitro?" He glanced up, so Starscream nodded confirmation. "Yeah, no telling what color this will end up being. Where'd he get gold optics from?"

Starscream huffed a soft laugh. "We have no idea. Neither of us knew our real creators. Gold was more common than blue in Vos, and Racers have been known to have gold optics, so he could get it from either of us."

Jazz nodded. "Genetics. Bet the medical and science nerds are having fun."

"We haven't let them near the sparklings," Starscream said. "At least not in that capacity. Perceptor was on Blurr's Wrecker team, so he has visited, and Ratchet of course. But no, we haven't let anyone poke at our bitlets."

Jazz set Nitro back down and waved a hand. "Nah. Didn't mean like that. Just that it's a field of study they ain't needed ta look at in a long time. Can see just knowing about these little bits making them wonder and postulate and all."

Starscream nodded then noticed that five sparklings were converging on the sofa. On him. "Ah. Feeding time in earnest," he said just as Shadowstrike began to click and fuss.

"Anything I can do ta help?" Jazz asked and pushed himself closer, following the sparklings. "Can't feed 'em, of course, but are there distractions that work?"

Face heating a bit, Starscream admitted, "I sing to them sometimes."

Jazz's face lit. "Hey! I can sing!" He snickered and moved in even closer, then began gathering up sparklings to line up on their backs in front of him.

Squeaks of protest sounded, but then Jazz began to hum. Little optics turned toward the sound, and even Silverwing turned his head, though he kept a good grip on the feeding line. Jazz smiled as his built-in speakers began to play a soft melody. Words came, gentle and sweet, and Starscream would deny being charmed as thoroughly as his creations to anyone that asked.

When Silverwing was filled, Starscream set him down and lifted Shadowstrike. Then Nitro. Then Swift, Nightstorm, and finally Lightning. All through the feedings, Jazz sang. There were songs Starscream hadn't heard in more vorns than he could count, lullabies from Earth, songs the Seeker had never before heard. The sparklings were enraptured, and slowly, little tanks full, their brothers' little tanks full, they began to drift into recharge.

Jazz faded off as the last set of optics fell shut and stayed shut, then he beamed up at Starscream. Starscream grinned in return, then he shook his helm. How had they gone from war to him sitting in his lounge with a former enemy?

Then the front door opened, breaking the surreal moment. "Oh!" Blurr said in a surprised whisper, a bright smile on his face for Jazz. "How's it going?"

"Fine," Starscream replied in a normal speaking tone. Blurr could hush himself all he wanted, but the fact of it was that the sparklings were well and truly sleeping. They wouldn't wake if he lifted them and carried them in a pile to their berth.

Jazz flashed a grin. "Got some cuties here," he said, following Starscream's lead and speaking in a normal voice.

"We do, don't we," Blurr said at a more natural volume. He bent to kiss Starscream, then sat on the floor next to the sextuplets.

"You missed the performance," Starscream told his mate. "Private show, just for me and our spawn."

Jazz snorted then quickly muffled his laugh while Blurr swatted at Starscream. "I've heard Jazz sing. I'm completely sure it was wonderful."

"Not the sort of thing I'd sing at Maccadam's," Jazz said, and then pushed himself to his feet. "Don't want the clientele snoozin' in their booze. And speakin' of. I better get down there. Thanks for lettin' me play with the bitlets."

"I'm sure the pleasure was theirs," Starscream said and stood to see Jazz out. "Just comm if you want to come by again."

"Will do. See ya later, Blurr," Jazz said with a wave, then he was out the door.

Starscream turned back to see his mate gently petting his fingers over the sparklings' helms in turn. "Come on." He bent and caught Blurr's hand to pull him up. "They only just fell asleep, and it's been too long since I had you all to myself."

Blurr glanced back at the sparklings as Starscream towed him toward their berthroom, but he didn't resist. Starscream made sure to reward his mate properly for that.


	6. Purple

"Come here, bitlet. Come to Uncle Warpy," Skywarp called to the sparklings, his voice arcing a full octave over his normal tone.

_Uncle Warpy_ , Thundercracker mouthed at Blurr and Starscream over Skywarp's helm, making them all force back laughter. The purple and black Seeker sat on the floor, wings twitching in excitement as he wiggled his fingers at the six sparklings scooting and trying to crawl around him. They were getting more mobile now, which was doing no good at all for Blurr's spark.

"I got them a gift," Skywarp announced. "Can I give it?"

Blurr met Skywarp's hopeful look, then shifted his gaze to Thundercracker. The blue Seeker smirked and nodded.

"It's age appropriate if nothing else," Thundercracker said with a laugh, which earned him a quick glare from Skywarp.

"You guys ignore him. You're gonna love this." Skywarp reached into his subspace and pulled out six little Seeker dolls that were practically the same size as the sextuplets. Seeker dolls that looked a _whole_ lot like Skywarp.

"Primus, Warp," Starscream groaned and flopped back against the back of the sofa.

"What?"

Blurr snickered as Lightning squealed and pounced the doll nearest him. "That's right, bitlet. Tackle that Seeker."

"Like carrier, like creation," Starscream said with a smirk and dragged Blurr into a sideways headlock to kiss his cheek.

"Probably a bad thing to teach them," Thundercracker said, gesturing toward the sparklings on the floor. "Three of them are Seekers."

"They're spark-split," Blurr said with a shrug. "I've talked to the twins some about it, and one way or another, they'll all be pouncing each other when they're old enough to feel that kind of draw."

"They merge already," Starscream added, and Blurr fought not to wince at the reminder. He'd panicked to wake and realize what was going on, but Sideswipe, and even Sunstreaker, had taken the time to explain and reassure the Racer that it was perfectly normal for spark-splits to need to share sparks. There was no lust or passion there, but the sparklings needed it as much as they needed energon and warm snuggles.

Starscream hadn't been surprised, and neither Thundercracker nor Skywarp seemed shocked by the news. Of course they were Seekers, and Starscream had known this was normal, so mechs that were raised in Vos around so many other Seekers had probably learned young themselves.

"Thank you, Skywarp," Blurr said, earning a bright smile. "They really seem to like them."

"And they're modeled after me," Skywarp said, as if they couldn't tell. "That way the bitlets will remember me better."

"Just let us know a little ahead of time," Blurr said with a glance to Thundercracker. "You can come visit anytime. I know that before the war trines were a huge deal. If nothing else, the little Seekerlings will benefit from your and Thundercracker's experience."

"Oh yeah, totally." Skywarp waved a hand, then picked up one of the dolls to wiggle and dance toward Shadowstrike. The sparkling squealed a piercing, happy note, then hugged the doll to him, rolling to his back, when Skywarp let him have it.

// _What kind of odds do you think Swindle would give me for who sparks next?_ // Starscream asked over a private comm.

Blurr shook his helm just a little. // _Forget Swindle. I'll take that bet. There's no way that Optimus isn't next. Whether he carries or sires, he's it. Have you seen how he looks at Megatron when they're around the bitlets?_ //

Starscream watched his trinemates for a minute, then slowly shook his helm. // _No. Megatron doesn't seem to want sparklings, and I can see Thundercracker melting from here._ //

// _Then it's a bet. Loser gives the winner a full detailing,_ // Blurr said with a smirk. Clearly, his mate hadn't been paying close enough attention to Megatron.

Starscream replied by reaching out his hand to shake and seal the deal. Meanwhile, Skywarp's wings fluttered and he giggled right along with the sparklings as they played.


	7. Do Not Disturb

Starscream was not an artist, so when he walked into his home and found his mate knocked out in the middle of the lounge floor, sparklings sleeping all around him- on him, he did two things. The first was to open a comm to Sunstreaker and promise the mech he could have anything he wanted from him if he came over _right now_ and got a sketch of the Seeker's family to make into a full painting. The artist-come-warrior-come-artist-again had the audacity to laugh, but he agreed and said he was on his way. Then Starscream tip-toed around the lounge taking well over a hundred image captures.

Once Starscream had every angle possible, he crept off to get energon for himself and Sunstreaker, then nearly dropped both glasses when Sunstreaker pinged his comms. Biting his lip, he set the glasses down and snuck back to the door, carefully opening it manually so it wouldn't beep and wake anyone up.

// _You're ridiculous,_ // Sunstreaker said by way of greeting, though he did pause inside the door to take in the Racer flopped out on his back and little lumps of sparkling surrounding him. // _That is pretty damn cute though._ //

Starscream gestured the mech in, then went for the energon. // _I have no idea how long they've all been recharging._ //

// _Don't worry._ // Sunstreaker then proceeded to do exactly as Starscream had, circling the room for image captures and searching for the best angle. When he found it, he pulled out a large datapad and began sketching.

Starscream, not wanting to disturb any of them, set the glass of energon within reach, received a nod of thanks, then went to park his aft on the sofa to watch his sleeping family and enjoy his energon.

The nap lasted over an hour before the first sparkling began to stir, and Starscream's optics shot to Sunstreaker.

"Don't worry, I've got plenty to work from," Sunstreaker said softly.

Starscream lifted Nitro from the floor and cuddled the tiny mechling a moment before offering the feeding line. "How's my little bit?" he crooned, receiving a bright smile from the sparkling before he latched onto the line.

On the floor the others were starting to wake too, and Sunstreaker rose. "I'll get back to you in a couple weeks."

"Thank you, Sunstreaker," Starscream said, sincerity in his tone. "Let me know the cost."

Sunstreaker smirked and gave a low chuckle. "My agent will be in touch."

Starscream shook his helm and offered a very slight wave as the yellow mech showed himself out. Just in time too, as Blurr woke with a flinch.

"Slaggit," he grumbled. "I didn't mean to recharge."

Starscream snickered. "You say that every time I catch you napping."

"Because our brattlings wear me out, and I keep falling asleep when I don't mean to." Blurr rolled to the side and tickled Silverwing's belly. "You wear me out! Yes, you do!"

Silverwing squealed and all five of his brothers giggled. Which was adorable other than the fact that Nitro spat energon all over himself and Starscream's hand. "Thanks for that," Starscream said, but he was smiling and amused. He had to hide the anticipation and mischief from their bond though. Whenever Sunstreaker had the piece done, Starscream was just going to hang it and wait for Blurr to notice.


	8. Seeking Solace

Drift was prepared. Or at least he admitted to having a big enough ego to think he was. Blurr wouldn't speak about it, but Starscream felt it was more important that Drift know what he was in for than to fuss over his mate's embarrassment. So he had told Drift _exactly_ how insane it got when all six of the sparklings were upset all at the same time. Just like when one laughed, they all laughed, when one _really_ cried, they all bawled, feeding off one another's emotions in a spiraling maelstrom.

It reminded Drift of how Twin Twist had once tried to explain to their fellow Wreckers that as split sparks, they didn't even realize they were more than one person at first. He relayed his -and Topspin's- shock at discovering that not everyone had two bodies. Drift thought it must be very interesting to have six. He tried to think on that, even meditate, but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around what it must be like beyond what he witnessed with the sextuplets. Tickle one, and the other five would at the very least smile as their brother kicked and giggled. Once one realized he was hungry, they all wanted fed. The trick, Drift had learned, was to time it and start feedings _before_ they were truly _hungry_.

But this was unexpected. After all- what did such innocent and loved and gently cared for sparklings have to dream about that would shock them awake screaming?

Drift crooned softly, projecting his genuine affection for the little bitlets into his field, and carefully scooped all six up into his arms. It was precarious, but he only had to go three steps to Starscream and Blurr's berth. His audials rang with their shrill cries, but Drift kept his focus on soothing them. If the same held true for the sextuplets as Twin Twist and Topspin, then all six needed comforting at once. The only way Drift could think to do that was to curl around them on the large, soft berth, touch every one of them. They were, in their very young processors just one being with six bodies.

Once safely on the berth -and no he would not be telling Blurr about that scooping maneuver- Drift let the sparklings pile together then laid down on his side next to them. He was alone, or there was no way he'd have ever _sang_ to them. Drift didn't sing. He didn't have the voice for it, but luckily, sparklings wailing their wee heads off didn't care if he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. It was enough to have the sound of a familiar voice, the touch of a gentle hand, and a warm, safe frame to press against.

It wasn't quite feeding time, but Drift picked a bitlet at random and came up with Nightstorm. He would get them settled then raid the pantry to boost his own levels so they could have their full meal later. It took some doing, Nightstorm far more caught up in the distress than interested in energon, but finally he tasted a few drops and chased the feeding line. Drift kept up the singing, and slowly, as Nightstorm settled, the others began to calm as well.

Drift gently tugged the line from Nightstorm and offered it to Swift next for his snack. They were still whimpering, but at least Drift's audials weren't being glitched from the volume anymore. He switched to humming tunelessly, and as he took the line from Swift, he sat up so he could offer a line from his other wrist compartment as well.

"Poor sparklings," Drift murmured, fingers gentle on tiny frames. "Still so sleepy, I can see it." He switched to the last two for their snack and smiled.

Poor Blurr. He hadn't had any energon left to bribe his sparklings with, but Drift had learned the lesson Starscream intended him to. He eased the lines away, then two by two, took the sparklings back to their little berth. He stood there a moment to be sure, but they were all slipping back off to dreamland.

"Sleep well, little ones," Drift said, then went to fetch himself some energon. He wanted the processed reserves ready for when they woke again. And if he was just a little proud of himself for handling his first crisis with the sparklings alone, well… that was alright.


	9. Hold My Hand

The sextuplets were never far away from one another. If one went adventuring from the berthroom to the lounge, or the lounge to the berthroom, it was a fairly certain thing that eventually his five brothers would follow.

But none were so closely attached to one another as Nightstorm and Swift, and watching them never failed to bring a smile to Blurr and Starscream's faces. They were, frankly, adorable, Blurr thought. They chirped and trilled softly while playing, always within arm's reach of one another. They preferred to feed at the same time too, and they sucked one another's fingers instead of their own whenever they sat still. When they recharged it was with their little hands knotted together, forehelms pressed to the other's, tiny feet tangled up.

Like now.

Blurr lay stretched out on the berth beside his sleeping creations, cheek cupped in one hand, and watched as Swift squirmed closer to Nightstorm. Tiny winglets fluttered, and the Racer couldn't resist reaching out to stroke a fingertip along the flat side of the little panel. Swift squeaked in his sleep, and Blurr moved to touch the positively miniscule little wing-like audial. They matched his own in design but were completely white instead of blue, though he had picked up some pale blue markings in the last couple weeks. Blurr thought he would be even more beautiful once fully grown. Nightstorm too, with his more striking black and thin lines of Swift-matching blue.

Granted, Blurr thought all of his sparklings were beautiful. Lightning followed Swift and Nightstorm, his silver plating marked with a slightly brighter blue. It was the same for Silverwing, his silver and white frame highlighted by rich blue lines. Shadowstrike's darker grey had settled into a graphite-pewter shade and had just begun to pick up a _slight_ sparkle. Nitro remained the striking and pretty little oddball with his black and gold. In fact…

Gold optics blinked at Blurr, then the brightest smile lit Nitro's face.

"Hi, bitlet. Good nap?" Blurr cooed. Nitro burbled and peeped at him, one little hand stretching toward Blurr, which he took immediately, letting bitty fingers clutch two of his own.

With one awake, it wouldn't be long until the others were, so Blurr only let his creation hold his hand a moment before gently slipping the grip and offering a feeding line. Of course the hand-holding by Nitro reminded Blurr of Swift and Nightstorm and he shifted his gaze to the 'youngest' of the sextuplets, smiling as -if on cue- blue and red optics opened in the same instant. Blurr snickered as the first thing Swift did was pull his brother's fingers into his mouth.

"Primus, why are you all so blasted cute?" Blurr couldn't resist them. They made his spark melt.

"They take after their sire, of course," Starscream said, making Blurr twitch in surprise as he leaned against the door jam.

"Just their sire, hm?"

Starscream grinned and fluttered his wings at the Racer. "Maybe a little from their carrier."

Blurr rolled his optics, but then Starscream was there and lifting Lightning as he woke, and the Racer couldn't really deny how cute his mate was with their creations.


	10. Grey

"Why would you even _have_ grey paint in that closet?" Blurr demanded, shouting to be heard over the wailing of six angry sparklings, all of whom were very displeased to have their fun cut short.

Starscream growled, and snapped back, "Why were our _sparklings_ in that closet?"

"I didn't leave it open!"

The wailing took on an echo once they were all in the wash room, and Starscream put his armload of sparklings in the middle of the shower floor before looking down at himself. Grey paint slid down his front. There were drips on his thighs, smears all over his canopy. His arms were practically coated, but neither he nor Blurr were as bad at their creations. The sextuplets were drenched in _grey_ paint- which hadn't done Starscream's spark _any_ good to walk in and see.

"We don't even have anything grey in the apartment!" Blurr huffed as he turned on the showerheads and carefully adjusted the temperature before aiming them toward the sparklings. The shrilling glitched Starscream's audials for a moment, and he cast a glare over at his mate as he gathered the soft brushes and gentler cleanser for the sparklings.

"You shouldn't have let them in there." Starscream knelt on the floor, wings back as water pattered down on them all. He stopped Nightstorm from sucking Swift's fingers into his mouth then hurried to open the bottle and dump soap onto the brush. "You never let them out of your sight. How did they manage to get into the closet in the first place?"

Starscream glanced up in time to see Blurr narrow his optics at him in a glare. "Well, as my mate keeps telling me, I don't _need_ to micromanage them every second of the frelling day, so I _didn't_ while giving our berthroom the thorough cleaning it's been in desperate need of for the last five months!"

"This is not _my _fault!" Starscream snapped.__

__Shadowstrike keened as Blurr scrubbed his back, and the Racer growled and slowed down. "No. I know it's my fault. But the closet was _shut_!"_ _

__Starscream sighed and focused on cleaning grey paint from their sparklings. They would need a scan to be sure none of them ingested any, and then he was going to have to go and clean that mess up. "I'll check the door," he offered after a few long minutes of tense silence between himself and Blurr. "Maybe the sensor malfunctioned. It shouldn't open unless the keypad is touched, but it's not like this is a newly constructed building."_ _

__Blurr nodded, lower lip protruding just a bit, field still crackling with annoyance, but the guilt was starting to seep in._ _

__Starscream checked over the sparklings, who had mostly moved on to slapping the floor to make the water splash, then leaned over to kiss his mate's cheek. "I'm proud of you for trying to give them a little space. Once we're done here, you can comm Ratchet and see if he can give them a quick scan, and I'll clean up. Then we'll call and see if Drift can come over early today."_ _

__"We're both home," Blurr said. "We don't really need Drift until later."_ _

__"We do if I take you out for evening energon," Starscream replied. He straightened and turned the brush on himself, though at least the water had kept the paint from drying enough to stick. Some had even washed off._ _

__"I think they're clean?" Blurr said, lifting each sparkling one by one, turning a giggling bitlet all around to check him over, before moving onto the next._ _

__Starscream watched the rather thorough examination with a grin. "I think so."_ _

__"It's not funny, Star."_ _

__"It is a little." Now, Starscream thought, that the initial start he'd had faded away._ _

__Nitro squealed and tackled Silverwing, sending water splashing up next to them both. That was enough to instigate a full war, so Starscream left them to it and moved to help clean the paint off Blurr._ _

__"They're clearly fine," Starscream said as he worked the cleanser over his mate's chest. "And since I'm checking that door, I'll check all the others too. Just to be sure." He didn't need either of them panicking over the sparklings escaping the apartment. No one on Cybertron would harm them, but they could easily be lost or hurt._ _

__"Good idea," Blurr said, scrubbing at his hands. "If they ever got into our energon, they could make themselves sick."_ _

__"Exactly." Starscream leaned in and kissed Blurr once more before standing up to shut off the water. "Dry them. Call Ratchet. By the time he's done, they'll be ready to feed, I'm sure. Then you and I can get out of here for a few minutes."_ _

__Blurr hesitated, and Starscream braced himself to argue, but the Racer finally nodded. "Yeah. Ok. We can do that."_ _

__Starscream passed over half the drying cloths then set about wiping Swift down. The sparkling chirred, one fist jammed into his mouth as he giggled and beamed up at Starscream. "Mischievous brattling," the Seeker said with a grin of his own._ _

__"Wonder who they got that from," Blurr said, and Starscream smirked, glad his mate wasn't going to sink into a funk over this. Blurr had always been very easygoing. He still was _except_ when it came to their sparklings. There was a fear there the Seeker had yet to ferret out, but he would eventually, then he'd be able to help alleviate it._ _

__"You, I'm sure," Starscream replied, then tickled Swift's belly. "Isn't that right? It's all from your carrier. See, he agrees."_ _

__Swift burbled and kicked before grabbing the drying cloth and chewing on the corner of it. Starscream let him keep it and reached for the next sparkling, leaving Swift to settle into the cradle of his lap. He bit back a sigh that would only have been partly amused. Never a dull moment, but he wouldn't change a thing._ _


	11. Mother Nature

Cybertron was different post-war. A fact that surprised absolutely no one. A very large difference was that they once again had a sun, which gave them seasons and weather as well. Starscream certainly loved the storms, dancing amongst the clouds, daring the lightning to catch him. Blurr liked to watch the sky himself, and he reaped quite the reward when his mate returned, charged and exhilarated from winning his games against Mother Nature.

However, the storms were loud. Thunder rattled the buildings, making the very walls vibrate. Even tucked safely inside, it was impossible to fully escape the storms that rode roughshod over New Iacon now. And this was the first one that the sextuplets had ever experienced.

Instead of Starscream flying, or Blurr watching, they both curled up on their berth with the sparklings between them. They were ready, fully fueled, feeding lines primed, but instead of terror, the sparklings squealed and trilled in excitement with each flash of lightning that flashed though the blinds. Curious and surprised, Blurr and Starscream shared a look, then a smirk.

"They must be ours," Blurr said with a laugh and watched Starscream slide off the berth to open the blinds.

Six sparklings charged for the foot of the berth, and only their carrier's Racer speed saved them from a serious tumble.

"Want to see closer, my little bits?" Starscream asked, hands already scooping Nightstorm, Swift, and Shadowstrike up.

Blurr lifted the other three and followed his mate to the window. Black clouds boiled in the sky, hanging low and threateningly. Jagged, brilliant blue lightning sizzled between them before attacking a neighboring tower's grounding rod.

"That's your namesake," Blurr murmured beside Lightning's audial. The sparkling squealed, kicking to make himself bounce in Blurr's hold, and soon, all of his brothers joined in.

Expectant silence fell as the lightning outside dimmed. Blurr flashed a grin over at Starscream, knowing the storm was far from over and the fun just getting started. Shadowstrike beeped a questioning sound, and the walls rattled with the next boom of thunder. Lightning crackled. Sparklings _screamed_ with joy, kicking, flailing.

Then once again they quieted.

Nitro chirped, and Blurr laughed as all six of them leaned forward in anticipation. The screaming and flailing was even wilder this time. Then, again, as the lightning faded, the sextuplets quieted.

"Tell it to go again, bitlet," Starscream whispered.

Swift beeped this time, and the storm exploded all around them again.

Blurr laughed, then tipped his helm toward the lounge. "Come on. Let's sit them in front of the balcony door." Nitro whined in protest as he was carried away from the window, his brothers joining in only an instant behind him.

"Patience," Starscream crooned, then crouched beside Blurr in the main room of their apartment to put his armload of sparklings on the floor.

Blurr reached out to stop Lightning from crawling back to the berthroom and pointed the fussing sparkling back at the door just as thunder rolled and the clouds lit with jags of blue.

Six sparklings were instantly plastered to the door, bouncing on their knees, tiny hands and noses pressed to the glass as they shrieked and screamed.

Blurr leaned back on his hands and grinned over at his mate. "You can go fly if you want," he offered, but Starscream was shaking his helm before all the words were out.

"You couldn't pay me to miss this," the Seeker said with a gesture at their creations.

The storm quieted as electricity gathered again, and once more a hush fell over the sextuplets.

"Shurr!" chirped Nightstorm, and all six shoved their faces harder against the glass, only to scream and squeal and jerk back as thunder made it vibrate.

"We should be recording this," Starscream said as he shifted to sit shoulder to shoulder with Blurr.

"I've been taking image captures," Blurr told him with a laugh, then bit his lip as the sparklings all quieted once more. "Of course, now I have to wonder how they'll react when chirping at the sky _doesn't_ earn them a plate-rattling boom and lightshow."

Starscream huffed a laugh of his own. "Primus help us."


	12. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No, it's not scary. Promise. <3

Starscream was always so calm about the sparklings, so Blurr didn't blame himself for not picking up on his mate's concerns those first busy and wild months after the sextuplets unfurled. He was glad for the help when visitors came around. It wasn't at all suspicious that Thundercracker and Skywarp were invited over whenever Starscream could manage it. Blurr had even told them himself they were welcome if Starscream was out. Skywarp had certainly taken him up on that offer a few times, even showing up once when Drift was alone watching the bitlets. According to Drift, Skywarp had been disappointed he couldn't play with the sleeping sparklings, but had stayed and chatted the swordmech up for a good hour.

But little things were adding up in Blurr's processors. A datapad was left on, an ancient article about Vos from an outsider's perspective showing on the screen. Starscream pushing Thundercracker close to annoyance over some festival he hadn't managed to experience before the war. When _should_ it be? Shouldn't they do it? Just small things that Blurr had noticed but thought nothing of until he caught Starscream staring down worriedly at their sparklings one day.

That much open concern had launched Blurr through the berthroom door and to his mate's side, startling Starscream into a yelp and waking the sextuplets. Now that they were all finally back in recharge, Blurr nudged Starscream into the lounge to sit, planted himself in his mate's lap, and said, "Out with it."

"Out with what?" Starscream asked, genuinely bewildered as he wound his arms around Blurr and settled back into the sofa.

Blurr squinted at him for a moment to be sure this wasn't a cover, but it didn’t seem to be. "Hm." He leaned in to brush a kiss to Starscream's lips, stalling long enough for his own mind to finish gathering together all the evidence. "You're worried about the sparklings. Worried enough that I thought something was _very_ wrong with them when I saw your face." Instead of arguing, Starscream's gaze shifted off to the side. "Something about Vos? Or history? The war?" Blurr guessed.

Starscream heaved a sigh and shook his helm. "It's stupid. And it's also… unfair of me."

One optic ridge arched. "Why don't you just tell me? If it's stupid, I'll say so."

The Seeker snickered, gaze returning to Blurr's face. "You would, glitch." Blurr grinned too, then set about waiting Starscream out. It only took a moment, so whatever it was, Starscream really did want to get it off his chest. "I don't know much about Vos. I was raised outside it. By the time I returned, it was mere vorns until the Fall and war started."

Blurr nodded. He knew Starscream's history and had shared his own, then told even more when he was carrying and the fact of producing another new Racer was a reality. "And?"

Starscream sighed again. "And we have three little Seekers in there." One hand was waved toward the berthroom. "I don't want them raised as outsiders like I was."

Blurr bit his lip. Vos was gone. In fact, most of Iacon was still 'gone'. Could their sparklings be 'outsiders' to a place that didn't exist?

"You don't understand," Starscream said with a huff.

"No, but I want to," Blurr offered.

Starscream scowled at the floor for a moment, and Blurr snuggled in, letting his mate find the words. When he finally spoke, the words came slow. "I had to grasp after tradition when I went to Vos. I didn't know about trines, or rather, just how important they were before that. I didn't know about the sky dancers beyond the few performances I'd seen as a youngling. They were revered in Vos. Elite and cherished, and I was taught they were little better than buymechs. Even now, even though I served as Winglord, I know very little about the traditions beyond their existence, and we have three little Seekers in there."

"There are other Seekers here, Starscream." Blurr lifted his helm from Starscream's shoulder so he could meet his mate's optics. "There is a collective effort going on to gather cultural information and preserve it. Mechs are trying to get some of those old traditions off the ground even now. I'm sure that some of those older Vosians that still live would be thrilled to help our bitlets learn about their history."

Starscream nodded, but guilt flickered through his EM field. "But it's unfair," he whispered.

"I don't really see how?" Blurr shifted, trying to get Starscream to look at him, but he wouldn't. "If they're willing to teach, then what's unfair about it?"

"It's unfair," Starscream growled, "that I'm more worried about three of our offspring than the other three."

Blurr tipped his helm. "Sweetspark. You don't love our little groundlings any less than our winglets. Not to mention, even if Nitro, Lightning, and Swift have Racer frames, they're still half Vosian. No, they won't fly, but they'll be given the same education in history that their brothers are. Just like I intend to teach all of them my history and how Racers were treated when they're old enough to understand." Starscream looked stunned, and Blurr couldn't help but smile a little. "I think I get it," the Racer said. "Our winglets aren't growing up in a packed aerie like you didn't. But Star, they're growing up surrounded by mechs that adore them. And if you really wanted to, if it's something your trine would want, we could always see about getting a place together that would be large enough for all of us and any bitlets of theirs." It would take some time as construction was on more important things than 'dream homes' at the moment, but they could work toward it.

Starscream gaped, and Blurr laughed.

"Come on, Star," he said, poking his mate's shoulder. "Even I've heard Skywarp joking about 'Little Vos'. When he dragged his parent trine by to introduce them, even Acid Storm was talking about trying to recreate something of Vos here in Iacon. Pits, shouldn't you know this stuff? You're on the Council."

Starscream blinked and gave his helm a shake. "You would be willing to live in the same home as Thundercracker and Skywarp?"

Blurr laughed at the disbelieving tone. "Thundercracker is quiet, and I like Skywarp. He's a bit weird, but then so is my mate, so I think I'd be fine. The key would be having enough space. Right now, they're in the same position as us, one berth room. And most of the current residences are like that, but we'll need a larger place in half a vorn anyway, so why not with them? Or if not that, then why not in an aerie-like building, close to the surviving Vosians so our bitlets can learn tradition and experience something like what Vos once was?" Blurr smiled. "Only it'll be even better this time around because not only will they get Vos, but they'll get Praxus, Iacon, Polyhex, and even more!" Blurr swung one arm out wide. "Our bitlets will get a universe of history and cultures to explore. They'll have their choice of traditions to follow. And! Even better than that, they aren't going to _suffer_ from having to uphold a bloodline like I would have had to do had the war not started. They'll have us and any other mech they wish to call family or friend or lover across all the salvaged cultures."

"Oh," Starscream said, the word small and surprised. "I… hadn't thought of it that way."

Blurr smiled, though he tamped down on the elation at finally being the one to comfort his mate when worried instead of it always being Starscream soothing him. "Our bitlets are luckier than we ever were. I don't think you need to worry about it, but if you're still concerned, just put the word out that you want them all to learn about Vos." He reached up to poke Starscream's nose. "But nip those old isolationist thoughts in the bud right now. If you include our little Racers in your words, then no one else will exclude them either." Not that Blurr expected they would be excluded even if he would allow such a thing- which he wouldn't. But Skywarp's family had cuddled and crooned over all six, winged or not.

"I… it was just…" Starscream stopped and frowned.

"It was the way Vos was back then," Blurr finished for him. "I know. It doesn't have to be anymore though, and it shouldn't be. Vos has a beautiful history, and to keep it alive, everyone should be taught about it. Same for all the other city-states."

Starscream grinned. "If everyone celebrated everything, we'd never get a full day's work done again."

Blurr shrugged and rested his helm on Starscream's shoulder. "There are worse things." He tipped his head so he could kiss his mate's neck. "Feel better?"

"Yes," Starscream replied, squeezing Blurr into a hug. "Thank you."

Blurr purred and nuzzled in a bit closer, but cut the sound off when he heard a squeak and chirr from the berthroom. "They have the most incredible timing."

Starscream chuckled, hands bracing Blurr as he stood. "They are ours," he said and followed Blurr into the berthroom.

Nitro spotted them, gold optics lighting and a smile splitting his little face as he squealed.

Blurr let Starscream lift the tiny Racer, and reached for Shadowstrike as he gave a sleepy chirp and raised his arms. And if Starscream cuddled Nitro just a bit more closely for a moment, Blurr pretended not to notice it. The Racer decided he would talk to Thundercracker and Skywarp himself. Maybe Acid Storm too, as he had taken over as Winglord when Starscream stepped down. There was a solution that would work out, and Blurr was rather excited that he now had something he could do for his mate.


	13. Moonlight

The sextuplets were in their berth, fed and sleeping, and Starscream left the berthroom to fetch a couple glasses of energon for himself and Blurr before joining him outside for a bit of air before recharge. The apartment was dim, lit only by the lights of the city, and Starscream glanced toward the balcony where he knew Blurr waited only to stop short and stare.

Blurr leaned on the balcony rail, hands draped over it, face tilted down as he watched the streets below. His back sloped in an elegant curve right down to hips the Seeker did so love to grip tight, one foot hooked behind the opposite ankle. He _glowed_ , surrounded by a halo of light that reflected off mostly-polished blue armor. The smudges from their sparklings -little lives they had sparked into being- only made Blurr more appealing. Starscream's spark picked up in rhythm, and that warm glow of emotion he generally ignored swelled through him. Oh, it wasn't as romantic as moonlight -though he longed to haul his mate back to Earth just to see how that soft light would gleam off the Racer- but the city lights made Blurr a vision wreathed in gold.

Energon forgotten, Starscream stepped out onto the balcony, moving as silently as he could so as not to disturb Blurr.

"Make sure it's shut," Blurr said without looking, his voice completely normal, utterly unaware of what he did to the Seeker.

Starscream made sure to close the door firmly, despite the sparklings all being safely penned in their berth, then molded himself to the Racer's back. He wound his arms around Blurr's middle, one hand angling up to rest over the spark Starscream swore he could feel pulsing there, the other holding tight to the opposite hip. A low purr rolled up from deep in his chest, and Starscream pushed his face in against his mate's neck.

Blurr chuckled and rocked his aft side to side in a teasing wiggle. "Here? Where the city can see us?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Starscream replied, though he honestly hadn't been thinking about interfacing. At least not in a direct sense. Mostly, he just hadn't been able to resist holding Blurr. "I love you," he murmured against a helm wing and felt Blurr shiver.

"Yeah?"

"Mm." Starscream pulled, not interested in an audience tonight. They had a very comfortable sofa just beyond the door, and plenty of time before their sparklings would wake and require attention. Blurr purred in return and let himself be led inside without complaint.


	14. Bunny

"That's a petrorabbit," Drift whispered.

Blurr couldn't help but snicker at Drift's thunderstruck expression. Well, that and the fact that he'd made the comment from atop a side table.

Said petrorabbit hopped a few paces closer to Silverwing, then dashed away in a playful half circle when the sparkling squealed and reached for it. "We've named him Thumper," Blurr said from where he lounged on the sofa, feet up out of the way of playing bitlets and bunnies. Well, just one bunny. Getting a pet had _not_ been on his list of things he wanted to do, but he couldn't just leave the little beast out in the wilds to starve and die without its creator. Guilt rose again, but really, as fast as Blurr was, there just had been no choice. Swerve to avoid the petrorabbit and crash when his own sparklings needed him healthy and whole, or try to slow enough not wound himself too much with the collision.

Blurr had made a fool of himself, sobbing on the comms to Starscream about the petrorabbit, then… Oh Primus, _then_ he had seen the tiny hatchling huddled in a temporary birthing nest only a few strides from the path he had been running on. Ratchet had been able to come out and quickly repair the dent to Blurr's leg, but there had been nothing anyone could do for the poor petrorabbit. Spark bleeding, Blurr had lifted the single hatchling and cuddled it close to his chest all the way back to the city.

Thumper had settled in quickly, and after only two days, seemed to consider the sextuplets its natural littermates. Ratchet had grumbled, but made sure the little rabbit was healthy and even gave Starscream the formula for energon such a young animal needed. Once Thumper was older, it would eat whatever they put in front of it as petrorabbits tended to do, but for now, it was just another bitlet in the household.

"Blurr…"

"Why are you so afraid of a petrobunny?" Blurr asked, watching the little, rounded matte silver creature jump and play.

"Have you seen what those things can do?" Drift asked- kind of demanded actually, his voice a touch shrill.

Blurr tipped his helm to look up at his friend, a bit surprised. "You're really afraid of it aren't you?"

Drift just boggled at him.

Blurr looked back to the sparklings and bunny on the floor and just couldn't see it. He'd been around pet petrorabbits in the Towers and had never been bitten even once. Sure they had incredibly sharp fangs once grown, but Thumper fit in Blurr's palm and was nothing but a ball of hippity-hoppity energy. He was _cute_.

"Well," Blurr said slowly, turning his gaze back to Drift. "Grapple is building it a pen. So, if you're really worried about Thumper, we'll just keep him locked up when you're here. Ok?"

"But the sparklings," Drift said, flinching back, optics squinting from whatever was happening on the floor.

"They'll be fine," Blurr said in utter confidence. "And if Thumper ever becomes a threat, we'll just put him back in the wilds. We might end up doing that after all." Not likely as Starscream was already on about the delicacy of petrorabbit eggs, and how they were such a nutritious treat too! The Racer figured that wasn't something to tell Drift right now though. "Come down already. Thumper's too small to get on the sofa."

Drift eyed Blurr for a moment, then edged over until he could step onto the sofa. The Racer moved his feet until Drift sat, then propped them back in the white mech's lap.

"So," Blurr said after a few minutes of them both watching the sextuplets play with Thumper and one another. "I'm guessing your experience with petrorabbits differs wildly from mine?"

"They were a menace in Rodion," Drift said and shivered. "I… woke up once _surrounded_ by a pack of them.

Blurr tipped his helm, partly amused that Drift's optics had paled and gone white-rimmed, though he knew it'd be cruel to laugh. "Well, Thumper's just one little bunny, but we'll keep him locked up for you, so don't worry."

Drift nodded absently, armor fluffing as Thumper ran toward the sofa before the little round ball of energy darted to the side instead and ran right into Nitro. The sparkling squealed, and the bunny squeaked and rolled and hopped a circle around the much slower, clumsier bitlet. Blurr still didn't see the least little thing to fear, but he shifted around to sit against Drift's side and purr at him. Eventually the white mech even managed to relax a little.


	15. Trouble Lurking

Blurr walked back into the apartment, having forgotten the silver shavings he'd picked up the night before on his way home. He needed those for the latest craze in energon goodies, and damn it for leaving without them, but he and Jazz still had time. He was still The Blurr after all, he thought with a smirk.

Unfortunately, he walked into… something.

Starscream and Drift _froze_ , both gaping at Blurr with wide optics and mouths open in shock. Blurr looked down at himself, half expecting to see a massive wound or horrible ugly mess on his plating. When he saw nothing there, he reached up to touch his face. He didn't _feel_ anything.

Starscream jerked upright, pasted on the fakest smile Blurr had ever seen, spread his arms, and chirped, "Sweetling! You're home so soon."

Blurr's helm tilted slowly to the side. "I forgot the silver shavings," he said slowly, confusion and a bit of trepidation worming into his spark.

"Oh!" Starscream scurried past Blurr, grabbed the container from the kitchen counter and shoved it into the Racer's hands as he pressed a lackluster -and fast- kiss to Blurr's cheek.

Blurr found himself turned and propelled toward the door, and only a quick twist saved him being shoved right out of his own home by his mate. "What's going on?" he demanded, optics going to Drift, because Drift was _not_ as good at lying as Starscream- no matter what the swordmech thought of himself.

"Nothing!" Drift squeaked, optics darting to Starscream, then back to Blurr.

Nothing, Primus' left lugnut. Blurr narrowed his optics and looked around the apartment. They didn't have many precious things, but all Blurr's trophies were safe and sound on their shelves. Starscream's reinstated certificates from the Academy decorated the wall just to the left of the shelves. The old crystal decanter and surviving set of three matching glasses sat unbroken on the table under the window. On the floor, the sparklings played happily with their toys-

Wait.

Blurr counted, then counted again.

Swift and Nightstorm sat together stacking the light up blocks. Silverwing was on his back growling and chewing the wing of a Seeker doll. Nitro and Lightning were squealing and giggling as they played their own rendition of chase and tag.

"Where is Shadowstrike?" Blurr asked, his voice quiet, though it could have been a thunderclap by the way Starscream and Drift flinched.

"Sweetling," Starscream began, but stepped back at Blurr's glower.

"Where. Is my. Sparkling?"

"He's gotta be in here somewhere, Blurr," Drift said, hands coming up defensively in front of his chest when the Racer's glare turned toward him. "He's just hiding. Taking a nap somewhere and not answering us."

Blurr looked at the five other sparklings on the floor, and slowly lifted his gaze to Drift again. "No. He is not napping." He clung to the anger because just under it was icy dread. What if Shadowstrike got out? What if the door hadn't closed all the way when Blurr left and his tiny bitlet was out there in the building, all alone, afraid, lost!

"Blurr," Starscream said, hands tight on Blurr's upper arms. "Stay with us. He's _in_ the apartment. The doors were locked. I saw you out. He's just playing with us and not answering."

"Ok." Blurr cycled his vents, pinged Jazz that he was delayed, then called for his sparkling. "Striker!" Swift chirped, optics following Blurr as he headed toward the berth room. The sextuplets _usually_ stayed close to one another. "Striker! Come out, bitlet!" He was ok. He was absolutely ok, because the other five weren't the least distressed. See? Logic. Blurr could handle this.

Out in the lounge, Starscream and Drift continued their search while Blurr got on the floor and started looking under everything. Not that they had that much. The berth was clear. The sparklings' berth had nothing and no one under it. The berthside tables' drawers were opened and checked. Blurr even went into the washroom to be sure Shadowstrike hadn't gone in there to play. When he was absolutely _certain_ the rooms were clear, he checked again as he made his way to the door, then shut it.

"No luck?" Drift asked and chewed the side of his lower lip.

"He's here," Blurr repeated and gestured to the other sparklings. "They're not upset. He isn't hurt or afraid."

Drift looked relieved. "Hiding. Playing." He nodded and knelt on the floor to look under the sofa.

Blurr could hear Starscream in the kitchen opening and closing cupboards. He didn't think their creations were strong enough to open those yet, but he wasn't about to leave any stone unturned himself. So where should he start?

The floor again. Drift and Starscream were standing and looking under things, but they weren't on the sparklings' level. Blurr flattened himself to the floor, grinning as Nitro chirruped and stopped playing chase with Lightning long enough for a quick cuddle. Then off he zoomed. Blurr smiled, taking some comfort in the fact that the five sparklings he could see really were fine. Now, to find the sneaky sixth.

Blurr rested the side of his helm on the floor and slowly looked along it for any odd lumps or bumps. When he didn't see Shadowstrike, he called out to the sparkling and shifted just enough to see a new wedge of the floor.

"I don't think he's in the kitchen," Starscream said, then, "What are you doing?"

"Where would our sparkling be hiding?" Blurr asked in return. "They're too short to climb anything before either of you could see them. He'd got to be on the floor some-" He cut off and pulled himself across the lounge floor to the table below the window. There was a shadow under it he thought had moved. "Striker~"

Little red optics blinked as the sparkling turned his head toward Blurr. One hand and both feet pressed to the underside of the table's lower shelf. A shelf left purposely empty so sparklings wouldn't mess with whatever may have been left there. Shadowstrike's other hand had three fingers crammed into his mouth, a mouth that now split into a wide smile.

"There's my brattling," Blurr crooned as he reached a hand under the low shelf and scooped his sparkling out into the light.

Drift gaped. "I looked under there!" he cried as Blurr stood, Shadowstrike cradled to his chest.

"So did I," Starscream said, crossing the room to nab the bitlet from his mate. "I swear I did!"

"I only saw him because the shadows shifted," Blurr said as he placed a hand on Starscream's shoulder to lean up and kiss his cheek. He gave Shadowstrike a kiss next, grinning as the bitlet chirped at him. "See you both tonight." Blurr picked his way across the lounge, optics on the other sparklings. Silverwing waved, so the Racer waved back before squeezing out the door and being sure it locked tight behind him. Only when he was in the lift and out of all possible sight of his mate did Blurr sag against the wall, knees weak and spark pounding.

"Little glitch. Trying to make my spark gutter," Blurr grumbled.

Alright. So Shadowstrike was incredibly well-named. They would just need to remember to check any shadows more carefully the next time he vanished.

"You did this on purpose," Blurr said to the ground under his feet as he stepped outside. Primus didn't answer, but the Racer wasn't fooled.


	16. Standing Still

It had been a busy night at the bar, then Blurr had come home to an apartment full of mechs. Drift was there still, and Starscream was boisterously rattling on to Acid Storm about something very scientific. It was well over Blurr's head, and in truth, he just wanted to snuggle his bitlets- very happy bitlets for being awake so late at night. Nitro was the first to greet his carrier, chirping and squeaking as he crawled onto Blurr's foot and patted his little hands down in excitement.

Blurr said his hellos from the floor of their packed lounge. Beside him, Skywarp held Silverwing until the Racer was comfortable, then passed over the little winglet for a hug. Blurr was mobbed in no time, Starscream even crouching down to brush a kiss to his cheek before returning to the rapid-fire nerd-speak.

It went for hours, the sparklings well entertained between two feedings before everyone called it a night and cleared out. Blurr settled the bitlets while Starscream cleaned up the main room and washed the used glasses and goodie plates. Very sleepy sextuplets were in recharge in no time, and Blurr turned off the light by remote signal then stood with his optics shut.

The world felt like it hummed around him, buzzed off his plating, spun. He inhaled, listening to the light clink of glass from the other room. A slow exhalation and things quieted more a moment before the distinct -yet purposely quiet- sound of Starscream's footsteps drew near.

"Blurr?" Starscream called in barely more than a whisper. Warm arms slid around the Racer's waist, his mate pressing close against his back. "Are you alright?" was murmured against a helm wing before a slow, easy path of kisses were laid down the side of Blurr's neck.

"Just… standing here. Being." If they _did_ live in a family aerie, was that what it would be like every night? Not that Blurr particularly minded, extrovert that he was. But the quiet was nice after such a loud night at the bar and so many other jockeying for his attention. Even home. He liked Skywarp's family, and since he was one of only three Seekers to still have living relatives, it was nice to get to know them. It was nice to feel like he was welcome in the family.

Starscream hummed, his arms coiling a bit tighter as he nuzzled in. "I can feel how tired you are. Let's rest while our sparklings will allow it."

Blurr resisted the gentle tug but leaned into Starscream's embrace. "In a minute. I'm happy standing right here." The sextuplets' respiration was synced, the noise from the city completely muffled. He wanted to soak up the stillness first, _then_ he could recharge.

Starscream gave a soft purr, then fell quiet, his chin on Blurr's shoulder as they simply stood and let the day's activities fade away.


	17. Cat

They were adventuring out today. All six sparklings for the first time ever. Starscream had enlisted not just Drift, but his trinemates and Skywarp's creators as well. The more, the merrier, Blurr had said, but they both agreed they needed the extra optics on their creations.

The excursion was because the new park was finally done, and in the hopes of more sparklings coming in the future as well as for the six already stealing sparks and world-famous, a play area had been added to the plans. It was there they went, listening to Optimus' grand opening speech and given the honor of being the first after Prime and Megatron to enter the park.

"I hope they enjoy it," Optimus said, the already tiny Nightstorm looking even smaller in his large hands.

"I'm sure they will," Blurr said as Megatron rolled his optics.

Starscream smirked and pushed Swift into the old tyrant's hands. "Hold Swift a moment," he said, then promptly stole Nitro from Blurr. Blurr gave him an odd look, but Starscream simply tipped his helm toward Optimus.

Three…

Two…

Optimus made a sound that defied description, optics wide and shaded darker as he gazed at Megatron.

"You look good holding a sparkling, Mighty Megatron," Starscream said, unable to bite back the wide, wicked smile. Blurr snickered.

"So does Prime," Skywarp added, utterly unprompted. "So do we all. Me especially. Don't I look good holding little Silverwing, TC?"

Starscream endured the pinch to his wing and only smiled as Thundercracker muttered by his audial, "I hate you."

"Only because I beat you to the punch," Starscream shot back.

Their banter was cut short as they arrived at the playground. Starscream was gratified to see that his suggestion of a springy, solid piece of ground cover was used. The original suggestion had been for rubber granules which he had shot down immediately upon hearing about them. Yes, they would absorb impact. Ratchet would also be kept incredibly busy removing them from the sextuplets' tanks. He also was rather pleased to see the swing seats looked secure enough to hold even their very young sparklings.

"We figure we can switch out half the seats we have now once we have some sparklings old enough and strong enough they don't require restraints," Optimus said when he noticed where Starscream was looking. "Why don't we let them down to play?"

Starscream nodded and stepped forward, setting Nitro on the rubbery matting. His brothers were all placed close to him, and then everyone stepped back to watch. The playground was surrounded with onlookers, but Starscream knew there wasn't a mech alive that would dare hurt his bitlets. Starscream and Blurr wouldn't even have to do anything. The rest of Cybertron's population would destroy the fool. A fool he doubted existed, and Blurr must feel the same as he stood with his hands on his hips, a smile on his face, and watched as the sextuplets crawled to a low dome with dips for hand and foot holds. It was _just_ their size, and very quickly all six were determinedly climbing.

Nitro made it to the top first and stood there on hands and knees to survey the world from this new and grand perspective. Starscream started to chuckle. He opened his mouth to call out praise to his creation, when someone gasped sharply.

Startled cries and more gasps of shock rippled through a cluster of mechs on the far side of the playground. A brassy-colored streak shot past a grab Hound made for it, and before even Blurr could launch forward to protect the sparklings, Nitro's place as king of the dome was usurped by none other than a photovoltaicat.

Nitro squeaked as he slid back, but he landed against Silverwing, who seemed to have a good enough grip to keep them both in place. For an instant, no one moved, then the sparklings squealed in unison, all six launching upward toward the cat. Blurr moved, and before it could escape, he caught the cat and held it to his chest.

"This belong to anyone?" Blurr asked, hissing as the cat dug sharp claws into his chest plating.

Helms turned this way and that, mechs murmuring as the sparklings whistled and beeped and reached for the cat in their creator's arms. Starscream stepped up to help peel the cat's claws out of his mate's frame, then grabbed some cabling out of his subspace. It wasn't a perfect harness, but it would help keep the cat from getting too close to the bitlets again without some measure of control.

"I haven't seen a photovoltaicat since long before the war," Prime said as he stepped close and helped Starscream harness the squirming, angry beast. "No one's claiming him."

"I can take care of him until someone does," Hound said, leaning around from behind Prime to smile. "They aren't usually dangerous, but they are rambunctious. Not really the sort of pet to have around such tiny sparklings."

Starscream nodded his agreement, and Blurr passed the cat over to Hound without protest. At their feet however, were six very loud and demanding sparklings who wanted to see this new and marvelous thing. Hound obliged by crouching down.

"Gentle, little ones, he's scared," Hound said and caught Shadowstrike's hand as the sparkling reached for the cat's swishing tail.

"The swings," Blurr said, lifting Nitro and Swift. "That'll distract them, and you can get that poor cat somewhere calmer."

"Yeah. Good idea." Hound took a few steps back as Starscream lifted Lightning and Silverwing, and Optimus picked up Shadowstrike and Nightstorm. "I'll put the word out, but if anyone's missing a cat, give them my comms," Hound said.

Starscream nodded and followed his mate to the swings, eyeing Blurr as they settled the sparklings in.

"What?"

The Seeker shrugged. "We have a petrorabbit."

Blurr snorted. "I don't want a zoo, Star. I just wanted to stop it from running off and getting hurt somewhere else."

"And I'm glad you did," Optimus said to Blurr. "I thought they were extinct, yet here one was. Hound will care for it, and perhaps there are others that survived as well?"

"I would assume so," Megatron said from his spot in front of Nightstorm, the sparkling squealing as he was pushed gently in the swing. "Petrorabbits, photovoltaics… I wonder what else survived and is learning to thrive as well?"

Starscream glanced at Blurr, and they shared a grin as Optimus gave his mate a besotted smile. Without even having to look, both of them mouthed the words as Prime spoke them.

"More hope for our future," Optimus said, giving Shadowstrike a careful nudge to make him swing.

Starscream snickered silently with his mate, then turned back to their sparklings. Oh, it was fun to mock Prime a little, but the mech wasn't wrong. Their world was healing better than anyone had dared hope -except perhaps Optimus- and Starscream was genuinely happy about it. Their bitlets were going to grow up in a better world than he had.


	18. Insomnia

They would _not_ recharge, Starscream realized. All the usual tricks weren't working. Drift had passed out on the sofa, still damp from the three of them attempting a warm bath to calm the sextuplets. That had failed _completely_. If anything getting to play in the water had only wound the little ones up even more.

"What is going on?" Blurr asked, optics wide as Swift squealed loud enough to make Drift twitch -though not wake, the lucky fragger- as he charged on hands and knees after Shadowstrike.

"I have no idea," Starscream replied, helm shaking as he too, watched their rambunctious, energetic sparklings chase one another round and round the lounge's floor. It was _late_. So late it was almost early, in fact. Starscream had been home through the evening, working from home after a few hours in the lab as Drift helped, and the sparklings hadn't had a longer or later nap than usual. If anything they should be utterly miserable and exhausted by now, not zooming, wide awake, and raring to go.

"You should go get some rest," Blurr said. "You've got that meeting in the morning and the lab appointment in the afternoon. I can stay up and just get Jazz to cover some for me at the bar tomorrow."

Starscream sighed and shook his helm. "I couldn't recharge and leave you-" he winced as Silverwing shrieked. "- alone with this."

Blurr laughed, glancing at Drift, but the other mech was _out_. Starscream envied him, but he really couldn't leave Blurr with six wide-awake sparklings. "I'll be fine," Blurr said though, and wound his arms around the Seeker's waist, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his cheek. "Go get some rest."

Starscream's wings sank down a little. Primus, but it was tempting, but-

"Star~"

"Oh, Primus."

Blurr reared back a bit. "Star?"

"I tried a new energon blend today at the lab." Starscream covered his face and groaned. "We're trying to increase efficiency," he said, voice muffled behind his hands. "All tests came up safe, so Skyfire, Mixmaster, and I all tried it. Then I came home and fed my sparklings."

Blurr's optics went very round, and Starscream braced himself for the tirade. His mate didn't anger easily or often, but when it came to their creations, he was so _very_ careful and cautious, and here Starscream had inadvertently fed their tiny bitlets _experimental_ energon.

Then, to the Seeker's utter surprise, Blurr threw his head back and _cackled_. "So _that's_ a side-effect you might want to log!"

"Huh?" Drift said, voice muzzy and thick. "W'az so funny?"

Blurr just laughed harder, which of course made the sparklings all laugh. In concert. Which was impossible to resist, and Starscream found himself snickering along as Drift pushed himself up to sit with a bemused grin.

"Fine," the Seeker said. "I'm going to recharge. You eight behave." He'd escaped with only laughter for an utterly incompetent mistake and would count that as a win. And he was _definitely_ logging this result. Sparked mechs and those feeding sparklings should _not_ consume this energon.


	19. Puzzle

"Ok. But how did they get up there?" Blurr asked again, and once again, Starscream shrugged.

For a long minute they both watched their six sparklings move around on top of the counter. They were crawling back and forth, apparently fascinated by the reflective surface.

Blurr asked, "They can't fly yet, right?"

To Starscream's credit, he actually ran a scan of the sextuplets before answering, "No."

They both watched another few minutes, concerned the sparklings would go too close to the edge of the counter and fall, but they were fine. Blurr glanced around, trying to figure it out, but he just couldn't see any way for them to have made it to the top without Starscream having put them there. Something he would _not_ have done, as when Blurr walked in, Starscream was recharging on the floor, toys all around him, and the sparklings were on the counter. Starscream _never_ would have left their delicate, tiny sparklings so high up without being close enough to protect them from a fall. He never even left them on the berth alone and asleep.

"How the frag did they get up there?" Blurr asked, for what had to be the hundredth time. "There are no chairs close by," he said, trying to puzzle it out verbally. "And even if there were, they're so blasted little that it'd take three of them standing on each other's shoulders just to reach the seat."

"They can't fly," Starscream said, helm slowly shaking back and forth, flummoxed. "They don't have thrusters, repulsors, or anti-gravs yet."

Blurr shook his helm too, hand lifting when Swift crawled too close to the edge, but he merely went around Nightstorm before aiming for the back wall to pat at the gleaming backsplash. "Nothing to climb. No flight. No one else in the apartment to have put them there." Because even though Drift had the code and Skywarp could teleport, neither of them would put the bitlets at such risk. Drift wasn't a prankster anyway, and while Skywarp absolutely was, he wouldn't ever risk hurting the sparklings. Not ever.

"How the frag?" Blurr muttered then started forward again as Silverwing crawled deliberately to the edge.

"Wait," Starscream whispered, catching Blurr's arm. They were both close enough to save Silverwing from a fall should he tumble over the side, so Blurr waited.

His optics grew round as Silverwing, chirping and beeping to himself, laid on his front and reached over the side to reach the drawer. Little fingers pushed at the edge of the drawer, but it wouldn't budge. The quiet chirps quickly grew to frustrated grunts and fussing. On a hunch, Blurr reached out and gave the drawer handle a tug to open it. There was nothing in the drawer but a couple spare cloths to dry glasses with, but Silverwing churred happily and slid right off the counter into the drawer.

Blurr gasped, but before he could do anything about the first sparkling, there was another flopping into the drawer after his brother. Lightning pulled himself up to his knees, optics unable to see over the edge of the counter, and beeped to the other four, all of whom were already on their way. From deeper in the drawer came a thump and a bump, and then a pot lid rattled from within the cupboard _under_ the drawer.

"Our clever little brattlings," Starscream breathed.

Blurr shook his helm, stunned and disbelieving what he witnessed as one by one the sparklings disappeared into the back of the drawer. From within, after Swift -who was bringing up the rear- was out of sight, the drawer rolled shut. Blurr could hear shuffles and giggles and bumps and thumps from within the cupboard, and after a few more minutes- _just_ as he was about to open the door himself, a little silver hand pushed it open enough to slide from the lower shelf -how the _fark_ did they get from the upper shelf to the lower shelf _inside_ the cupboard?- to the floor.

One by one the sparklings appeared and crawled off toward their toys in the lounge.

Blurr watched them go, helm tipped, then looked up at Starscream. "I'm going to call Grapple and Hoist. We need something to keep them from opening the cupboards and doing that again."

"They're so _clever_ ," Starscream said, clearly in awe, his optics wide as he stared at their creations now happily playing in front of the sofa.

"Which is exactly why we need to keep them from pulling that stunt again." He would see if they could find and repair the hole or gap the sparklings had used to get from one shelf to the other as well, just in case they managed to get back inside before some kind of lock could be fabricated.

Blurr opened a comm line and hoped the other mechs would believe him. Primus, he'd seen it and didn't believe it, how could he expect others to?


	20. Magic

"This is _your_ fault," Megatron snarled as Blurr entered his home.

The Racer tipped his helm as Starscream cackled. Hilariously enough, the sextuplets all laughed too. "What have I missed?" Blurr asked as the door shut behind him. He hadn't been expecting Prime and Megatron to stop by today, but it wasn't a problem. He moved to set down the packages of ingredients on his kitchen counter then asked, "What's Star done now?"

Optimus _beamed_ at Blurr as the Racer returned to the lounge, hands clutching one of Megatron's as their Lord High Protector looked sour and grumpier than usual. "We're going to have a sparkling."

" _I_ am going to have a sparkling," Megatron growled and tried to yank his hand free of Optimus'. "I'm the one carrying it, you had the fun part."

Blurr wanted to offer some words of comfort, but his forging of the sextuplets was nothing he ever wanted to repeat, and the words wouldn't come. Instead he smiled and said, "Congrats. He'll be perfect."

"Of course he will," Megatron grumbled.

Starscream still chortled from his spot on the floor, Nightstorm climbing on his knee. "We need to call Swindle. I'm sure I've got creds coming now."

Blurr opened his mouth to fuss at Starscream for that, but before he could engage his vocalizer a loud _vop_ of displaced air startled them all. A few of the sparklings cried out, but then squealed in delight to see Uncle Warpy hovering in the air.

Skywarp beamed a full-watt smile around the room as he sank to the ground once he checked for sextuplets under foot. "Guess what?!"

The sound of thrusters cut off the next instant, and Starscream stood to open the balcony door to Thundercracker.

"Are you crazy?!" Thundercracker demanded, storming -carefully- over to Skywarp to - _gently_ \- shake him by his shoulders. "You shouldn't be teleporting!"

Blurr's optics shot to Starscream's, both of them wearing disbelieving looks.

"No!" Megatron stood. "You are not!"

"Yup!" Skywarp crowed, both index fingers pointing at his lower chest. "Sparked!" His wings waggled and he bounced on his feet in excitement, making Blurr snicker.

"Congratulations," Optimus said. "We are too!"

" _I_ am!" Megatron snapped.

Optimus reached out to pat his mate's hand and tug him back down to sit. "Megatron is," he corrected, just as happily. Privately, Blurr applauded Megatron for that. Starscream strutted around for weeks, ever so proud, and he wasn't even the one carrying. Blurr was.

"Wow! Both of us!" Skywarp then shocked them all by flinging himself across the room to tackle Megatron with a _hug_. "Congrats to both of us! Isn't it epic?"

Thundercracker scrubbed a hand over his face. "We're very excited," he said to Blurr, a wry twist to his mouth. "Really," the Seeker added. "It was intentional." He waved a hand at Skywarp. "You should have seen IceStorm when we told his creators."

"They're excited too," Skywarp chirped from his place still half in Megatron's lap.

"We were a little less so. Intentional, I mean," Optimus said, hot pink coloring his unmasked face.

"Someone has no control," Megatron muttered, but he had a pleased air about him when he said that, and Blurr decided that was plenty of information right there.

"We should celebrate," the Racer said to forestall any more comments about Prime's control- or lack there of. "I've got stuff to make some nice goodies, we could make the big announcement at the bar today and have a bit of a celebration?"

"And our bitlets, Blurr?" Starscream asked. "I'd feel cruel asking Drift to forego the party, and I can't not go when it's my own trine creating."

Blurr waved a hand. "We'll bring their little berth with some toys and put it behind the bar with me. They'll be fine." And he'd just be sure no one got drunk and grabby, and that the music stayed at a more tolerable level for one evening.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind, Blurr?" Optimus asked, and Blurr waved him off.

"It'll be fun. We'll keep it from getting too rowdy by not serving high grade. Carriers can't have that, so it'd be rude anyways. I'll ping Jazz and have him put the word out that we're having a special party this evening and get to work on some treats." He smiled. "It'll be a lot of fun."

Starscream smirked, gaze slanting toward Megatron, who eyed the Seeker with narrow optics. "Besides, we need to celebrate this magical event. Imagine, Mighty Megatron-"

"Starscream," Optimus, Thundercracker, and Blurr all growled together.

"What? It is magical." Starscream grinned, too innocent to be believed. "Just imagine how cute they'll be!" That was _not_ what his mate had been about to say, and Blurr gave him a look that said he knew it. Whatever it had been wasn't spoken though, and after a few more minutes of happy chatter from Skywarp, Thundercracker managed to drag him off, then Megatron hauled Prime out too, after promising to be at the bar shortly after opening.

Starscream leaned against the kitchen doorway and smirked. "We still have more."

Blurr snorted a laugh. "For now."

Starscream's grin turned utterly wicked. "I can't wait to point that out to Megatron. 'Imagine how _fertile_ the Matrix must make Prime, Mighty Leader!'"

"Octuplets," Blurr said in a grave tone, and Starscream cackled. Their sextuplets giggled in unison from the floor.


End file.
